Por Redaccion 
On March 11, 2025, Xavier Mariscal returns to Avilés this week to explore his connections with comics and movies through the exhibition «Chico, Rita, and The Pianist.» The exhibition can be enjoyed until July 13 at the Comic Room, showcasing materials that allow visitors to delve into the creative processes behind the films Chico & Rita (2010) and The Pianist Shot (2023), both products of the collaboration between the illustrator and filmmaker Fernando Trueba.
This Thursday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m., Mariscal himself will visit the exhibition accompanied by the Councilor of Culture, Yolanda Alonso. On the morning of Friday, March 14, at 10:00 a.m., Mariscal will attend the screening of Chico & Rita at the Casa de Cultura Auditorium, followed by a discussion with the audience. In the evening, at 8:00 p.m., the same venue will host the screening of The Pianist Shot. Both events are free and open to the public, subject to seating availability.
Mariscal’s return to Avilés comes after his visit to the city on December 12 and 13, 2023, as part of the group exhibition «From Valencia to Cairo,» which showcased the work of comic artists who initiated the «Clear Line» movement, with Mariscal being one of its prominent figures.
In addition to visiting the exhibition, which was on display at the Palacio de Valdecarzana from June 15, 2023, to January 7, 2024, and received over 10,000 visitors, the Valencian creator engaged in a public event with students from the municipality at the Casa de Cultura Auditorium, where he shared insights into his career with his trademark humor.
### Xavier Mariscal’s Visit Program to Avilés
#### Thursday, March 13
– 7:30 p.m. Avilés Comic Room. Xavier Mariscal visits the exhibition «Chico, Rita, and The Pianist» with Councilor of Culture, Yolanda Alonso.
#### Friday, March 14
– 10:00 a.m. Casa de Cultura Auditorium. Screening of the film Chico & Rita followed by a discussion with Xavier Mariscal. Free entry subject to seating availability.
– 8:00 p.m. Casa de Cultura Auditorium. Screening of the film The Pianist Shot. Free entry subject to seating availability.
### Exhibition ‘Chico, Rita, and The Pianist’
The exhibition consists of numerous original printed documents (sketches, full-color prints, script) and audiovisual material (interviews and behind-the-scenes videos) that allow visitors to understand the creative processes behind the films Chico & Rita (2010) and The Pianist Shot (2023).
Mariscal’s fruitful collaboration with Fernando Trueba began with the film Chico & Rita (2010), Mariscal’s first feature film and a perfect example of how comics influence cinematic narrative. The film, which tells the love story between a pianist and a singer in the context of Cuban music, is characterized by a brilliant style reminiscent of comic panels where colors, stylized shapes, and characters come to life. This fusion of media highlights Mariscal’s versatility as an artist, creating a visual continuity that connects the two formats.
Mariscal takes advantage of the narrative possibilities of both expressions to explore universal themes such as love, identity, and nostalgia. His ability to tell stories through images, whether on a page or in a sequence, demonstrates that both media are complementary and enrich the experience of the reader/viewer.
In 2023, The Pianist Shot was released, described by Fernando Trueba as a clash between beauty and barbarism. The colorful images drawn by Mariscal, his distinctive style creating charismatic characters and attractive visual worlds, along with an excellent soundtrack, allow the viewer to travel alongside Tenorio Jr. from Rio de Janeiro to New York and Buenos Aires, where the musician mysteriously disappears hours after performing alongside Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho. This story has also been reflected in a graphic novel.
In conclusion, the connection between comics, movies, and Xavier Mariscal is evident through his personal style and narrative, showing how both media can enrich each other and inspire new generations of graphic artists to explore visual storytelling in all its dimensions.
### Chico & Rita (2010)
Undoubtedly, the most well-known and successful collaboration between Fernando Trueba and Xavier Mariscal. It is an animated film that tells the story of Chico, a young Cuban jazz pianist, and Rita, a singer, whose relationship unfolds amidst the vibrant music scene of Cuba in the 1940s and 1950s, with jazz as the backdrop.
Awards or nominations:
– Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2012
– Goya Award for Best Animated Film in 2011
– Audience Award at the Annecy Animated Film Festival in 2011
### The Pianist Shot (2023)
On March 18, 1976, after a concert in Buenos Aires alongside Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho, Brazilian pianist Francisco Tenório Cerqueira, one of the leading representatives of samba-jazz and bossa nova, mysteriously disappeared. Everything indicates that the Argentine military took him and executed him by mistake.
Nominations:
– Nominated for Best Animated Film (Goya 2023)
– Nominated for Best Animated Film and Best Film (European EFA Award)
– Other nominations for Best Animated Film:
– Platino Ibero-American Film Awards (2024)
– Gaudí Awards
– Forqué Awards (2023)
– Goya Awards (2023)
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